Tag: Emma Reynolds

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emma Reynolds on 2016-03-01.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 25 January 2016 to Question 23396, for what reasons the Sexual Health Forum was discontinued; and what Public Health England’s future plans are for stakeholder engagement with sexual health organisations.

Jane Ellison

The Sexual Health and HIV Forum played a useful role in aiding the transition to new commissioning arrangements and locally based decision making. These changes have taken place, the Forum was not considered to be the best use of resources either for Departmental or stakeholder organisations. Departmental officials continue to meet regularly with a range of stakeholders on a more focussed range of issues. Public Health England is still considering plans for future stakeholder engagement.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emma Reynolds on 2016-10-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate his Department has made of the costs to UK businesses of being outside the common external tariff of the EU.

Margot James

The Department is currently working closely with the Department for Exiting the EU to understand the impacts that withdrawal from the EU will have on businesses, consumers and other economic actors. As my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister has said we will work hard to get the best deal for Britain.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emma Reynolds on 2015-11-23.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the potential proportion of local authorities which will experience (a) any reduction in their allocation and (b) a reduction of 20 per cent or more in their allocation as a result of the new proposed public health funding formula.

Jane Ellison

On 8 October 2015, the Department published Public health grant: proposed target allocation formula for 2016/17, an engagement of behalf of the Advisory Committee on Resource Allocation (ACRA), a technical consultation to inform ACRA’s recommendations to Ministers on target shares of the local authority public health grant.

ACRA is currently considering the responses before providing its final advice to ministers. Actual allocations for 2016-17 will be determined separately and will be announced in due course.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emma Reynolds on 2016-01-11.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will bring forward proposals to require local authorities to conduct a needs assessment of local sexual health and contraceptive services before issuing tenders.

Jane Ellison

The Department’s Framework for Sexual Health Promotion in England (2013) sets out our ambitions and objectives to improve sexual health for all people. It takes account of the commissioning arrangements from 2013 including the new role for local authorities (LAs) as commissioners of most sexual health services. Later this month Public Health England (PHE) will undertake a survey of local commissioning arrangements for sexual health. It has also produced sexual health and reproductive health profiles to help LAs and others monitor the sexual and reproductive health of their populations and the performance of local public health related systems.

It is for LAs to decide on what research and evidence they need to inform their tenders for sexual health and reproductive health services in line with procurement requirements and good practice. In 2014 PHE published Making it Work, a guide to commissioning for sexual health across the whole system, to improve the sexual health of both individuals and the wider public.

We have made no formal assessment of the effect on sexual health services of reductions in the Public Health Grant to LAs for 2015/16, although PHE continues to monitor relevant outcomes data for every LA in England. Decisions on local public health spending are a matter for LAs. They are mandated by legislation to commission open access sexual health services that meet the needs of their local population. Officials meet regularly with sexual health organisations who would raise any concerns if LAs were not meeting their mandatory requirements for sexual health services.

The Framework for Sexual Health Improvement includes as a priority reducing unwanted pregnancies and highlights the need to increase access to long acting reversible contraception (LARC) methods and emergency contraception for women of all ages. We have no plans to evaluate the effect on general practitioner surgeries of LA commissioning of LARCs.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emma Reynolds on 2016-03-01.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 28 January 2016 to Questions 23930, how many responses Public Health England has received to the review of sexual health, reproductive health and HIV commissioning services since the 8 February 2016 closing date; for what reasons his Department’s consultation on sexual health, reproductive health and HIV commissioning services lasted for 3 weeks; and whether any assessment has been made of the effect of the length of the consultation period on the responses received to that review.

Jane Ellison

Public Health England (PHE), supported by the Association of Directors of Public Health undertook a review of Sexual Health, Reproductive Health and HIV Commissioning services; the survey was first published on the 19 January 2016 and closed formally on 8 February 2016.

To date, PHE has received 113 responses to the survey. Two of these responses were received after 8 February closing date.

This survey does not form part of any formal consultation. The length of the survey period was chosen to fit within the timeframes for analysis and publication for the survey findings.

Response rates were continually reviewed during the survey period. The deadline was extended and reminders sent in order to increase response rates. The last response was received on 10 February.

No assessment has been made of the impact of the survey period length but the response rate is considered to be high.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emma Reynolds on 2016-10-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what assessment his Department has made of the costs and benefits to the UK of leaving the EU Customs Union; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Robin Walker

We are confident that we will secure a successful outcome and deliver the best deal for Britain in the upcoming negotiations. The relationship we build with the EU will be bespoke to the UK. There are of course a number of different models for EU trade relations from which we can learn. We understand the advantages and disadvantages of those models, and are analysing closely the impact which adopting them would have on the UK economy and UK trade.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emma Reynolds on 2015-11-23.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether the new proposed public health funding formula will be linked to an assessment of deprivation and greatest need in order to determine the allocation that different local authority areas receive; and what steps his Department is taking otherwise to ensure that areas of greatest need are not disproportionately affected by overall reductions in public health allocations.

Jane Ellison

On 8 October 2015, the Department published Public health grant: proposed target allocation formula for 2016/17, an engagement of behalf of the Advisory Committee on Resource Allocation (ACRA), a technical consultation to inform ACRA’s recommendations to Ministers on target shares of the local authority public health grant.

ACRA is currently considering the responses before providing its final advice to ministers. Actual allocations for 2016-17 will be determined separately and will be announced in due course.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emma Reynolds on 2016-01-11.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what forecast he has made of the return on spending on preventative sexual and reproductive health spending in each of the next five years.

Jane Ellison

We have no plans to produce forecasts on the return on investment of spending on sexual health prevention services. Investment to prevent sexually transmitted infections, (including HIV) and unplanned pregnancies offers benefits to individuals, local economies, the National Health Service and wider society. Our Framework for Sexual Health Improvements includes the evidence and information to support local authorities to commission effective services.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emma Reynolds on 2016-03-01.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answers of 14 January 2016 to Questions 21812, 21778, 21813, 21814 and 21816, which organisations his Department has met to discuss whether local authorities are meeting their mandatory requirements for the commissioning of sexual health services.

Jane Ellison

Departmental officials have met and discussed this issue with the Local Government Association, the English HIV and Sexual Health Commissioners Group, the British Association for Sexual Health and HIV and the Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emma Reynolds on 2016-10-11.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to reduce youth unemployment in areas with high levels of youth unemployment.

Damian Hinds

Since 2010 the youth claimant count has fallen in all regions, and only 5.7% of the youth population are unemployed and not in full-time education, a rate that is near record low. We are investing further in an intensive support regime for young people, equipping them with vital skills to not only find a job, but build capability to sustain work.